Useful Japanese Phrases for Visitors: Sumimasen, Arigato and More

A server leans toward a table and says irasshaimase, a cheerful welcome that needs no answer. A passer-by at a ticket gate hears sumimasen and turns to help. Within the first day in Japan, a handful of short phrases will come up again and again, and visitors who learn them usually find that people respond with extra warmth, even when the rest of the conversation happens in gestures and smiles.

This guide collects the most useful Japanese phrases for travelers, written in romaji (Japanese in Roman letters), with simple pronunciation advice and short sets for restaurants, shopping and transport. It also explains why one word, sumimasen, does the work of three, and which small phrases make an outsized difference. You do not need fluency; a few well-placed words and a friendly tone go a long way.

Pronunciation Basics That Help Most

Japanese has five vowels, and they stay steady: the vowel a sounds like the a in father, (i) like the ee in see, u like the oo in food (with relaxed lips), e like the e in bed, and o like the o in more. Each syllable gets about the same weight, so say arigato as a-ri-ga-to, evenly, instead of stressing one part as English speakers tend to do. The r sounds like a quick tap of the tongue, somewhere between r, l and d.

Length matters. A long vowel is held about twice as long as a short one, which can change the meaning: obasan means aunt, while obaasan means grandmother. Double consonants are held briefly before release, as in kitte (stamp) compared with kite (come). Japanese also uses pitch rather than stress, so hashi can mean chopsticks, bridge or edge depending on the pitch pattern. Listeners guess from context, so do not worry about perfection.

Greetings and Everyday Courtesy

Ohayo gozaimasu is good morning, konnichiwa is hello during the day, and konbanwa is good evening. Oyasumi nasai means good night. Hajimemashite means nice to meet you, and yoroshiku onegaishimasu is a flexible phrase said after introductions, roughly please treat me well. Goodbyes are less formal than in English: ja mata (see you) works among friends, and shitsurei shimasu is a polite way to leave a room or end a call. Sayonara exists, but it sounds final.

Arigato gozaimasu is thank you, and the plainer arigato or domo is fine in casual moments. Doitashimashite means you are welcome, though many Japanese simply smile or say iie iie (no, no) to wave away thanks. Hai means yes, but it often signals only that the listener is following; it does not always mean agreement. Wakarimasen means do not understand, a useful phrase to have. Eigo ga hanasemasu ka? asks whether someone speaks English.

Why Sumimasen Does Three Jobs

Sumimasen is perhaps the most useful word in the country. It works as excuse me, to get a server's attention or to pass through a crowd. It works as sorry, if you bump into someone or arrive late. And it works as a thank you, when someone goes out of their way for you, because it acknowledges the trouble they took. The word is often explained as the negative form of a verb meaning to be settled, so it literally suggests something that cannot be put right, which helps explain why it fits both apology and gratitude.

Gomen nasai is a more direct apology, used between friends and family, while sumimasen sounds right with strangers. Both are friendlier than staying silent when something goes wrong. If you need to say thanks after an apology, add arigato gozaimasu, as in sumimasen, arigato gozaimasu. In busy stations, a quiet sumimasen as you step past someone is welcomed. Use it freely and you will rarely go wrong.

Phrases for Restaurants

Staff will welcome you with irasshaimase. Reply with a nod. Futari desu (two people) or hitori desu (one person) tells them your party size. Menyu o onegaishimasu asks for a menu, and onegaishimasu on its own, meaning please, is the all-purpose request. Pointing at a dish and saying kore o kudasai (this one, please) always works. Osusume wa nan desu ka? asks what the recommendation is. Mizu o kudasai is water, please, though in many places it arrives automatically.

Before eating, say itadakimasu, an expression of thanks for the meal. Afterward, say gochisosama deshita, which thanks the people who prepared it. Oishii desu means it is delicious and is welcome anywhere. To pay, say okaikei onegaishimasu (the bill, please); in many restaurants you pay at the register on your way out. If you have a food allergy, arerugii ga arimasu opens the topic, and showing a written note in Japanese is even safer.

Phrases for Shopping

Ikura desu ka? asks how much something costs. Kore o misete kudasai means please show me this. Kore ni shimasu means this is the one, and signals a choice. Kurejitto kaado wa tsukaemasu ka? asks whether a credit card can be used, which is worth checking because small shops still prefer cash. Fukuro wa iranai desu says you do not need a bag, and at stores that charge for bags, it saves a few coins and a bit of waste.

At larger shops, tourists may ask menzei wa dekimasu ka? (is tax-free shopping possible?), and staff will usually ask to see a passport. When a clerk asks if you want points, a polite no is iie, kekko desu. Ask for a receipt if you need one, and keep it with your purchases. Shops tend to hand over money and cards on a small tray, so place yours on the tray as well. A little bow and arigato gozaimasu finish the transaction nicely.

Phrases for Transport and Directions

Eki wa doko desu ka? asks where the station is, and toire wa doko desu ka? asks for the toilet. Kono densha wa Shinjuku ni ikimasu ka? asks whether this train goes to a particular place; replace the name with your destination. Which platform is bansen in speech, so nanbansen desu ka? asks which platform number. For taxis, say the place name followed by onegaishimasu, ideally with the address on your phone to show the driver. Koko de kekko desu means here is fine when you want to stop.

Basic directions help too. Migi is right, hidari is left, massugu is straight ahead, and chikai means near. If you are lost, sumimasen followed by the name of the place and doko desu ka? is enough. Station staff, police boxes called koban and convenience store clerks are used to helping visitors and often know a few English words. For emergencies, the numbers are 110 for police and 119 for ambulance and fire, and the word tasukete means help.

Politeness Without Overthinking

Japanese has several levels of politeness, but the phrases above are all in the safe, polite form that ends in desu and masu. Using them with everyone, from taxi drivers to hotel staff, is correct. Adding san after a surname (Tanaka-san) is always acceptable, and you never attach san to your own name. A slight nod accompanies most greetings and thanks, and a deeper bow is not expected from visitors.

Japanese also relies on tone and context. A calm, friendly voice and a smile do much of the work, and many people will meet your effort halfway with simple English, gestures or a translation app. If someone answers too quickly, say yukkuri onegaishimasu, which asks them to speak slowly. A clear single word with the right expression is often more effective than a long sentence read from a phone.

How to Practice Before You Go

Start with ten phrases and repeat them out loud: sumimasen, arigato gozaimasu, onegaishimasu, kore o kudasai, ikura desu ka, oishii desu, eki wa doko desu ka, toire wa doko desu ka, wakarimasen and gochisosama deshita. Listening to short audio clips helps with rhythm. Writing the phrases on a card or in a phone note makes them quick to find, and pointing to the card is a good backup when pronunciation fails.

Once you arrive, use the words at every chance: when you enter a shop, when you order, when you leave. Japanese staff are used to hearing the greeting irasshaimase and rarely expect a reply, but a quiet nod or a soft konnichiwa feels friendly. Repetition builds confidence quickly, and by the end of the first week the phrases will start to feel natural. Visitors who try often report friendlier service in return.